February 2018

As you may be aware, rail passengers are experiencing delays across parts of the Wales and Borders network today as essential safety checks to rail infrastructure and trains are carried out. The majority of long-distance Arriva Trains Wales services operating in North Wales, West Wales and the Marches were suspended this morning as a result of these checks, which were …

Pensions aren’t the most exciting topic of conversation, but ensuring we have financial security after retirement is becoming more and more important as we live for longer. Representing a university constituency with tens of thousands of students and university staff naturally means I have taken a very keen interest in the current pensions dispute between the University and College Union …

Last week I attended a reception to mark the start of Fairtrade Fortnight. Fairtrade Fortnight 2018 runs from 26 February to 11 March and this year’s theme is ‘Come On In!’ inviting people to learn more about the Fairtrade movement and how it impacts on the lives of farmers and producers around the world. The event, sponsored by Co-op, gave parliamentarians …

Construction work continues to progress throughout Railway Gardens (the Sandies) and Waterloo Gardens, as well as at Waterloo Road bridge. We would like to thank the community for their ongoing patience during this time and assure you that we are working as fast as we can to complete the works and return the park gardens to you. Dawnus will start the last sections …

Along with over 100 of my Parliamentary colleagues, I have co-signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calling for the referral of the Myanmar military to the International Criminal Court for their actions against the Rohingya. The appalling ‘security operations’ against the Rohingya have been described as ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide by OHCHR. I’ve previously raised it in Parliamentary debates, …

The second annual of Great Get Together is taking place 22nd – 24th June 2018 with hopefully even more fun and friendly events in Cardiff Central than last year. The Great Get Together is inspired by my friend and colleague Jo Cox, who was killed on 16 June 2016. We believe there is a groundswell of people who reject divisive politics and …

Universal Credit is being phased into Cardiff, starting this month. It is a new, single monthly payment to replace the following benefits and tax credits: Housing Benefit Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Income Support Child Tax Credits Working Tax Credits It will not replace Child Benefit, and it will not replace Contribution-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Contribution-Based Employment and Support …